Sunday, July 6, 2008

The 4th of July. Cook-outs. Patriotism. Long summer nights. And of course, fireworks. For over 200 years, citizens of all ages have celebrated the Declaration of Independence with spectacular displays of pyrotechnics. Or in Baltiless, a fusillade of bullets.

As we sipped coffee on the sidewalk, we overheard a young woman on her cell phone and realized that not everyone had enjoyed the same lavish city-sponsored entertainment that we did.

She nonchalantly said that she'd wanted to see the fireworks, but hadn't been able to. In the same tone of voice you or I would reserve for talking about neighbors having a loud party or a pizza delivery that never arrived, she complained that everyone on her street had been shooting guns out of the houses all night, so she hadn't been able to see anything.